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What would you suggest for adding a touch of über-glam to my (smallish) dining/living area? I'm wondering if there is a specific colour I should be using on the walls. Someone told me that red is good for dining rooms. I know you like black, but I think my space has too much light for dark walls. (P.S. There's plenty of mirroring already, but not much art.) Thanks! Catherine McRae

Dear Catherine,

Black is big in the world of decorating and design, but I prefer using it in smaller spaces, like powder rooms and offices. In an open-concept living and dining room an all black room can feel gloomy. Add a chandelier or candelabra and your guests may wonder when Dracula is going to come out of hiding. Formal black living and dining rooms, however, work well when there's plenty of white trim and panelling. That said, anyone who wants to use black should, because it's really up to them. I once styled a glamourous red dining room for a woman who hated red.

She painted her dining room crimson because she was told that red stimulated conversation and appetite. But every time she walked by the room her stomach turned.

While we are on the subject of choosing colour, it's A-OK to paint a dining room blue. It's an old-school decorating myth that blue is an unappetizing colour. I've seen many gorgeous dining rooms painted blue-from robin's egg to navy; the rooms were so comfortable and inviting I can't imagine anyone saying no to a second slice of pie.

Back to your question: One of the best ways to add glamour to a room is with wallpaper. I recently fell in love with The Calico collection (newwall.com) of wall coverings. These gilded and marbled wallpapers are definitely über-glam. I like them because they're so versatile and will work well with raw wood furniture, colourful upholstery or mirrors.

You didn't mention whether your mirroring is frameless or framed, but it doesn't matter. You don't need to worry about matching your mirror frames or art because gold or silver wallpaper will work with any colour or finish. Plus, shimmering gold-patterned wallpaper will reflect beautifully in a floor-to-ceiling wall mirror and make the room feel larger.

Be careful, however, not to go overboard adding reflective and gold furniture and accessories to a gold-papered room, unless you want to replicate Liberace's mansion. Bold wallpaper doesn't need art because it reads like a floor to-ceiling canvas. But if you're a gutsy decorator, art will add another layer.

Last, for anyone who likes feature walls, the white background in the wallpaper seen in our photo will marry well with white walls. But because your space is smallish, cover all four walls for a beautifully finished look.

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